Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1887-05-12
SET IN DIAMONDS.
BY Charlotte NJ. Braeme.
CHAPTER Xv.-CoxrrNUEp.

beautiful young wife, and which made
her grave dearer in his eyes than the
living face of any other woman. 1t
was this love her heart was filled with;
II seemed to be tue very air she breathed.
She was simple enough to say, over
and over again, that she wished she
loved Lord Stair in this fashion. He
was kind to her, and she was always
pleased to be with him: but it was not
the same thing at all, and she wondered,
poor child, as many desolate girl has
done before her, what IL must be like
TO marry the man you really love.
Still, no thought or even the least wrong
doing came to her, no thought that he
should ever know this troubled secret.
no foolish idea of running away with
him; no shadow of wrong thought
lay over the innocent soul. She only
said to herself, over and over again,
how sad it was that she had not mar
ried the right man, and how unbound
eddy happy she should have been as
Darcy Estes wife.
"She loves him." thought Lady Perth
to herself, as she watched the beautiful
face flush beneath his gaze, and the
beautiful eyes droop. ''She loves him:
ne is going away, and the end will
soon come," she said to herself: while
Lord Stair never even saw the shadow
that had fallen over his wife's face.
She was with him continually, yet
she kept, as she thought, her secret.
She did not know that it shone in the
face, that it was all plainly told in her
eyes, that her voice was full of her
music of it, that every word she spoke
to him, every look she gave him was
caress. She was quite unconscious of
it, while he read it plainly. She tried
to forget that December must take him
away; yet every wall of the wind, every
beat of rain, every sharp breath of frost,
brought it nearer and nearer to her.
Il WISH" she said to him one day,
plaintively, THAT you were staying
until Christmas-day, | should like to
have had one happy Christmas in my
life, Lord Stair says we are to give
balls and parties. and entertain all our
neighbors. Without you all will be
blank. On what day do you start?"
1--WE sail on the twenty-second Of
December" he replied. "They might
as we'll have given us three days more.
Many a man who sails that day will
never spend another Christmas in old
England"
She glanced at him, her eyes full of
alarm.
$40 not say that, Darcy; 1t sounds
like foreboding."
lie was thinking TO himself that he
would just as soon be drowned in the
depths of the ocean as live without her.
Now that he was on the point of leaving
her, he understood how well he loved
her. Lady Perth saw it all in silence.
She saw, as the short dreary days of
December passed by, that the shadow
deepened on both faces. She saw
there were times when Lady Stair
looked desolate and broken-h hearted,
and the fatal day was drawing nearer.
Lord Stair was sorry to lose his young
kinsman.
II wish you were going anywhere
rather than to India" he said. 1T is
such long way off. 1t is useless to
think of what may happen at the end
of five years, but you will always re-
member your home is at Oakclifie
Towers"
Kindly words and truly meant; while
Lady Perth watched. In her own mind
"a narrow, suspicious, evil-judgin g
mind-she had felt certain hope that
when Captain Este went away Lord
Stairs wife would go with him. Now,
as the time was passing, there seemed
The girls face was full of wistful sor-
row, but that was all.
Lady Stair might have wondered
why Lady Perth kept such a constant
watch upon her, why she went so
often to her rooms, why she seemed so
curious about her movements, Lady
Perth saw no sign of any elopement,
and she was most previously disap-
pointed, spiteful, and wroth.
II am sure she loves him." she would
say to herself; land she is sure to go
away with him; there is no attraction
for her here. j have taken care of
that"
But Captain Este was going on the
twenty-second, and the twenty-first
had nearly come to an end. Still there
was nothing but pitiful sorrow on the
face of Lady Stair.
All preparations for his departure
were in progress. The great trunks
and portmanteaus were packed-the
coachman had been told at what hour
to take them to the station-the train
for Darcy Este was settled. He had
called on his old friends and neighbors,
and there was universal regret at his
departure
Still nothing but sorrow on that
beautiful face-nO hurry, no confusion,
no embarrassment. She spoke of the
future calmly-of what she shodld buy
for Sunbeam at Clyfie, and Lady Perth
almost CRASHED her teeth with rage as
she owned to herself that with all her
keen insight into the characters of peo-
pie she was mistaken this time. Her
evil patience was rewarded at last.
On the very morning Of his departure
she heard Captain Este say
marguerite, let US say goodbye at
our favorite spot, the Herons' Pool; we
have spent so many happy hours there;
i should like to leave you there"
Lady Perth overheard the words
II will be there too" she said with
grim smile; perhaps this may be my
opportunity"
The twenty-second of December came
"a quiet gray day, that had neither
shine of sun, beat Of rain, nor breath OF
frost-a gray leaden day, with heavy
clouds and a mist-a day that was to
be fatal to many. When it dawned,
Lady Stair said to herself 1t would be
the most sorrowful day of her life
when IL ended, she owned that 1t had
been the most eventful.
Captain Este was to leave at midday
The whole household we're in state
of regret at his departure. He bade
adieu to the trusty old housekeeper-
to the faithful old butler-to all the
servants, who worshipped him for the
gallant young soldier he was. He went
to the nursery-gave largesse to the
nurses, and was allowed to take the
tttla Gt,p haapn in his strong arms anf